Deuteronomy 7:16

Exhortation to Destroy Canaanite Paganism

7:16 You must destroy ¹  all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship ²  their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

Deuteronomy 8:19

8:19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all ³  and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated.

Deuteronomy 12:30

12:30 After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.”

Deuteronomy 28:1

The Covenant Blessings

28:1 “If you indeed ⁴  obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving ⁵  you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth.

¹ tn Heb “devour” (so NRSV); KJV, NAB, NASB “consume.” The verbal form (a perfect with vav consecutive) is understood here as having an imperatival or obligatory nuance (cf. the instructions and commands that follow). Another option is to take the statement as a continuation of the preceding conditional promises and translate “and you will destroy.”

² tn Or “serve” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).

³ tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).

⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”

⁶ tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).